MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

600,000 Skiers on Chile's slopes this season

This past winter's unusually cold weather in Chile's central valley had at least one benefit – the mountains were covered in snow, attracting some 600,000 skiers and snowboarders. This figure represents an 11 percent increase compared to the previous season when 522,000 visitors hit the slopes.

Metropolitan area ski resorts reported a 10-30 percent increase in visitors, mostly Brazilian – according to Sernatur, the National Tourism Service. About 150,000 Brazilians came to Chile to ski this season, making them the largest foreign population on the slopes. Valle Nevado commercial manager Jaime Vial reported his resort hotel was at full capacity for the whole season, making the "past season our most successful in the past few years." "We've had more visitors to El Colorado this year than any other year, even though our ski season was significantly shorter than other years," said El Colorado manager Aldo Boitano. La Parva general manager Thomas Grob said the reasons for the increased interest in skiing at his ski resort were not just weather-related. "The quantity and quality of the snow were definitely better, but so was the quality of our service and our commitment to safety on the slopes," he said. The Santiago Times